


1. Beginning

by bohemianraspberries



Series: 30dayhqwriting [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-19 08:16:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3602919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bohemianraspberries/pseuds/bohemianraspberries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It doesn’t matter, though,” Hinata mutters, ignoring the comment completely. He turns back to stare up at the sunset and adds, “Because I’m going to practise. For the first time ever –“ He pauses and takes a deep breath, as though the very prospect is overwhelming – “For the first time ever, I’ll have people to practise with. I’ll have a <em>team.</em>”</p>
<p>Hinata's graduation from Yukigaoka.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> this is for the 30dayhqwriting challenge on tumblr - go check it out!! this is just a drabble and i apologise if it's a little rough around the edges - a fic a day is actually pretty tough! i'll be posting them here but this might not get updated for a while so i will put a link to my tumblr page in my profile in case anyone wants a new on every day :)

“T-t-thanks so much for everything, you guys!”

Izumin ducks his head to hide to hide his grin as Kouji complains, “Shou-chan, stop it! It’s embarrassing!”

Hinata says nothing, only sobs and pulls them both into a crushing embrace, sniffing loudly as his tears fall on Izumin’s shoulder; Izumin can’t help but chuckle.

“Trust you to be so overdramatic, Shou-chan,” he says, patting Hinata on the back to comfort him.

Kouji pulls back and runs a hand awkwardly through his hair. “Don’t cry, Shou-chan,” he offers by way of sympathy. “It’s only graduation, we’ve still got a whole week of school left!”

“And spring break,” Izumin adds. Hinata nods and wipes his nose on his sleeve. 

“Sorry,” he mutters. “I guess I _am_ being a little too emotional. You’re right.” He raises his head and flashes them his trademark sunny smile, only slightly too bright. Izumin returns the grin, and Kouji shakes his head and punches Hinata on the shoulder. But the thing is, they’re only half-right, Hinata thinks, and he can’t help feeling a little hollow. Sure, they have a week left, and then spring break, and then… what? Then they will all go their separate ways – Izumin and Kouji to their chosen high schools, Hinata to his.

Karasuno. 

He still can’t quite believe he passed the entrance exam – although to be fair he has been studying practically since the age of twelve to secure a place there. The name still conjures images in his head of jet-black crows squawking as they rise, wings beating, into an iron sky; the high-pitched squeak of rubber shoes on the shiny wooden floor of a gymnasium; the smell of Air Salonpas. He has seen and heard these things hundreds of times, but only in his head. They still make his heart race, and he knows they will be even better in real life. He can’t wait.

Even so, the reality of leaving Yukigaoka for Karasuno is bittersweet. In order to attend his dream school he must part ways with his best friends, the two people who have stood by his side for the past three years and protected him from bullies, pulled pranks with him at the end of term, even attended his first and last volleyball match of junior high with him, despite not even knowing the rules of the game. The three of them have stood together against Kitagawa Daiichi – against the King of the Upper Court, no less – and fought valiantly. Even though they were sorely defeated, Hinata still thinks it was the best match he’s ever played in, and he makes a point of telling them so.

“It’s the _only_ match you’ve ever played in,” Kouji reminds him, and Hinata pokes his tongue out at him, suddenly his old playful self again.

“Then it’s the best by default,” he retorts, and Kouji rolls his eyes as Izumin laughs.

“Come on,” Izumin says, pulling Hinata by his elbow through the throng of wandering students in the corridor. “Let’s go and say goodbye to Yanagida-sensei.”

***

“Hey.” Izumin’s voice is gentle, a soft murmur that is almost carried away by the spring breeze. He taps Hinata lightly on the shoulder but Hinata does not turn, only stands and stares at the school gates – now closed – dark against the backdrop of pink and orange clouds. 

“We keep telling you, Shou-chan, we’ve still got a week to go,” Izumin continues. “We’ll keep in touch. Promise.”

Hinata nods, still staring at the school. The sakura trees, not yet in bloom, stand like tall guardians in front of the gates he has walked through every day for three years, remind him a little of the high wall of blockers that rose above him in their junior high match and stopped every ball he tried to spike. He laughs suddenly, and Izumin frowns, puzzled.

“What?”

“I just realised,” Hinata says softly, looking up at the trees, “we never stood a chance.”

“What are you talking about?” Izumin replies, his forehead wrinkling in confusion.

Hinata turns to look at him, wide brown eyes full of epiphany, and says, “The match. The Junior High Meet. We never stood a chance.”

“You _just_ realised?” Izumin repeats. He lets out a breathy laugh and shakes his head. “Shou-chan, are you even real?”

“It doesn’t matter, though,” Hinata mutters, ignoring the comment completely. He turns back to stare up at the sunset and adds, “Because I’m going to practise. For the first time ever –“ He pauses and takes a deep breath, as though the very prospect is overwhelming – “For the first time ever, I’ll have people to practise with. I’ll have a _team._ ”

His eyes light up at the word _team_ and Izumin suddenly feels guilty for not having practised more with Hinata, for abandoning him to solitary tosses and spiking balls against the wall of the gym. He suddenly realises how important this is to Hinata.

“It’s a new beginning,” he agrees. Hinata nods and turns to him.

“Going to Karasuno means I can finally play volleyball for real.”

He smiles at Izumin, and Izumin smiles at him and then punches him lightly on the shoulder. “Forget about volleyball for now, okay?” he says. “Kouji’s mum is making pork curry and you know what Kouji’s like if you keep him waiting for food.”

Hinata laughs and allows Izumin to lead him away from the school gates and towards Kouji’s house. He feels an odd sense of peace – although everything is changing, he thinks, nothing really has to end. He’ll get up half an hour earlier for school, he’ll cycle over the mountains every morning, he’ll be a first year and a kouhai again, he’ll have a new set of friends, and he’ll _actually get to play volleyball_ – but he’ll still sleep late on the weekends (as late as someone with Hinata’s extraordinary vitality _can_ sleep in), he’ll still walk the five minute journey to Izumin’s house, he’ll still get to tease and take care of Natsu, and he’ll still play soccer with Kouji and shoot basketballs with Izumin. Even though the gakuran he’ll wear will be emblazoned with a different logo, even though the corridors will be wider and the classrooms bigger and the students older and taller and infinitely scarier, there are few things he will truly have to sacrifice. This is not an ending, Hinata reminds himself, as he listens to Izumin speculating about all the things they’ll do over spring break, and how weird it’ll be putting on a new uniform and riding the bus every morning, and how scary their senpais might be. This is not an ending at all. This is a beginning.


End file.
